Back Rooms Novels & Stories

The magenta feels louder than it looked in her bathroom mirror. Minnie steps into the front office of El Camino House with her hoodie tugged halfway over her freshly dyed hair, hoping to fly under the radar. But no such luck. The second she walks through the door, the scent of cinnamon coffee, printer toner, and overdue paperwork hits her—along with the voice that never misses a beat. “Well damn, who gave you a glow-up over the weekend?” calls Lani, her receptionist, spinning her chair halfway around to gawk. “Okay, Punk Barbie. I see you.”

The moonlight shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows turned the name on the property deed silver. A stray cat was tearing through a trash bag downstairs. The sound was reminiscent of when Matthew had kicked the trash bin over in the past. … During one of my night shifts, I passed by a red-light district when I was dropping off a client. Feeling bored while waiting for my next customer, I absentmindedly looked out the window and saw a familiar silhouette. The sounds of high heels clacking against the sidewalk were suddenly mixed with the loud clattering of plastic bottles rolling across the ground.

“All right, honey. I’ll be back in a minute. Ava quietly waited as she looked around. There was a sign across the room stating there was a game room in the back. The walls were wood plank at the bottom and white up top. There were photographs on the walls close to the bar but Ava was too far away to tell who or what was in them.

… The moment I hung up, Landon hugged me from behind. He rested his chin against my neck and rubbed it slightly, but said nothing. I couldn't help but smile. "What's wrong?" He asked, "Christine, will you go back?" I wondered, "Back where?" "To Gold City." I answered, "I don't have plans to go back for the moment, but who knows in the future? It's not like I've done anything shameful, so why can't I go back? My home is still there." Landon went silent again.

Ezra Slain Velleoti is a man that everyone wants to avoid. He's a tough enemy. A mafia boss who disapproves of almost everyone. Anyone who gets in his way will never make it out alive. Khione Louelita Silay is a woman who is socially awkward. A person who has socially anxiety and dislikes crowds and other people's opinions. She is a nerd who prefers to work and stay at home. Working as a top counterintelligence agent for the NBI, Khione was unintentionally able to uncover the dark secrets of some government officials. Khione desperately wanted to flee, but she couldn't until they killed her, and Ezra, the notorious Mafia boss, was the only one who save her.

“Jane, I’ve already punished Ashley for you. She’ll spend the rest of her life in prison and will never bother you again! Even if you want the Roth Group, I can hand it over to you right now. Just turn back and look at me!” I cut him off. “Sean, give it up. I told you before. This is the end for us. I hope from now on that you’ll leave me alone.” I tossed out the words lightly, not sparing him another glance, and had security escort him out. The light in his eyes died instantly. He tried to chase after me, but the crowd swallowed him up. All he could do was watch as I walked farther and farther away. When the show ended, heavy rain poured down, washing away all the filth and ugliness.

As I walked out of the room, Amanda's desperate screams echoed behind me, but I never looked back. She was not sorry for what she had done. She was only afraid because she had lost everything.

The restaurant is expensive and quiet -- the kind of place where powerful people go to have conversations that need to stay entirely private. Alessandra has reserved the back room, the one with the single entrance and the kitchen exit that leads to the alley. Security matters. Contingencies matter. Everything matters when you're about to detonate your sister's entire world.

************* WEEKS AGO The backroom smelled of smoke and whiskey. The air was thick, heavy enough to sit on the tongue. A single lamp hung low over the table, the yellow light spilling in a tight circle across papers, folded maps, and glasses that were no longer full. The edges of the room faded into shadow, and the sound of the city outside was faint, like it belonged to another world.